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FWD
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company or FWD was an American truck manufacturer that specialized in heavy duty all wheel drive trucks. The company also built fire apparatus and later became involved with Seagrave Fire Apparatus. The FWD company ceased to exist in 2003. Seagrave Fire Apparatus, LLC owns the rights to the FWD name and trade marks. History In 1908 Otto Zachow and William Besserdich were granted a patent that allowed for a powered steering axle. They built a four wheel drive automobile, which they demonstrated in 1908 and early 1909. They found a third partner in W.H. Finney and founded a company in 1909, the Badger Four Wheel Drive Company. By the end of the year the company was failing. In 1910 they were able to interest investors in a new company, and the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company was established. Walter Olen, an attorney that had helped Otto Zachow gain his patent would serve as the General Manager, and later President of the company. Zachow and Besserdich agreed to give their patent to the company in exchange for stock. Neither had much involvement with the company after 1911. William Besserdich would help start another company the Wisconsin Duplex Auto Company in 1917. Military interest in FWD's vehicles began almost immediately. The U.S Army tested an FWD touring car and a 3 ton truck in 1912. With the start of World War 1 in 1914, FWD began to receive orders from Europe. By 1916 the U.S. Army had purchased a number of FWD trucks, and several would be used in Mexico during the Army's unsuccessful pursuit of Pancho Villa. During the war 15,000 3 ton and 9,000 5 ton FWD trucks would be produced. FWD had to license production to 3 other truck manufacturers to meet this demand. By the end of the war FWD was producing 6,000 trucks per year. FWD's trucks would find success in the civilian world as well, being popular for the construction, snow removal, logging, mining, and oil extraction industries. In 1912 FWD contracted with the Wisconsin Motor Manufacturing Company to provide engines for their trucks. This arrangement would remain in effect until the early 1930s. In the late 1920s FWD also began to use engines from the Waukesha Motor Company, and these would remain a popular choice into the 1960s. World War 2 and the Korean wars would again see a demand for FWD trucks with the company providing large numbers of trucks to the U.S. military. In 1959 the company changed its name to the FWD Corporation, then in 1963 acquired fire apparatus builder Seagrave. The company struggled financially during the 1970s, and filed for bankruptcy in 1981. The Corsta Corporation became the majority stock holder in the company, and in the following years more emphasis was placed on the Seagrave Fire Apparatus division. By the late 1990s the FWD name had largely been eliminated from use. In the early 2000s the Corsta Company became entangled in a legal dispute with the U.S. Government and all of its assets were put up for sale. In 2003 a group of investors purchased the Seagrave assets along with rights to the FWD name and trademarks. Canada and Great Britain In 1919 FWD expanded into Canada, opening a plant in Kitchener, Ontario. This plant would remain in operation until 1970. During World War 1 the British military bought large numbers of FWD trucks. In 1918 the British government was granted a license to build FWD trucks. Initially these trucks resembled the American built trucks with the exception of some locally sourced items such as engines. By the 1920s the British FWDs began to exhibit their own unique designs. In 1931 "British FWD" changed its name to Hardy to avoid confusion with the now rather different American trucks. FWD Fire Apparatus FWD began building fire apparatus in 1914, often utilizing equipment from the Northern Fire Apparatus Company. By the early 1920s they offered a chassis for tractor drawn equipment (aerial ladders / water towers), pumpers, combination chemical / hose units and service ladder trucks. In the late 1920s they would begin to utilize pumps from Waterous. They would offer triple combination pumpers, quads tractor drawn aerial ladder trucks by the 1930s. In 1956 FWD would become the U.S. distributor for Geesink of Holland who built a relatively compact 4 section aerial ladder in lengths of 65-107 feet. FWD began to offer apparatus equipped with a Snorkel aerial device in 1960. By the late 1950s FWD was building aircraft crash rescue trucks. In the early 1960s the company would be awarded a contract to built a fleet of large 8x8 crash trucks for the U.S. Air Force. When Seagrave was acquired in 1963, production of Seagrave and FWD apparatus occurred in separate plants. By 1965 the Seagrave operation had been moved to Clintonville and merged with FWD. Soon the names would begin to merge as well. Initially FWD and Seagrave fire apparatus retained separate identities. By the 1970s combined FWD / Seagrave badges were in use, and soon Seagrave would be the only badging used on fire apparatus. FWD fire apparatus found use with many rural fire departments which appreciated the all weather and rough road capabilities offered by the four wheel drive trucks. Their popularity was not restricted to rural areas though, the Chicago Fire Department was a frequent customer in the 1950s. Sources :* Gabrick, Robert FWD Trucks 1910-1974 Photo Archive. Hudson, WI: Iconografix, 2005. :* Gabrick, Robert FWD Fire Trucks 1914-1963 Photo Archive. Hudson, WI: Iconografix, 2005. :* McCall, Walter M.P. Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Fire Engine Manufacturers. Hudson, WI: Iconografix, 2007. :* Allen, Jim Classic 4x4s. Minneapolis, MN: Motor Books International, 1997. :* Georgano, G.N. Editor The Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1979. Category:Defunct American fire apparatus manufacturers